The present invention relates generally to sheet-like abrasive articles used for abrading a work surface and, more particularly, to flexible resilient sheet-like abrasive articles, and to a sanding tool assembly including such an abrasive article.
Sheet-like abrasive articles are commonly used in a variety of sanding operations including hand sanding of wooden surfaces. In hand sanding, the user may hold the abrasive article directly in his or her hand and move the abrasive article across the work surface. Sanding by hand can, of course, be an arduous task.
To facilitate the hand sanding process, the sheet-like abrasive article may be placed on a sanding block. Sanding blocks hold the abrasive article and can be readily grasped by a user to make hand sanding faster and easier. A commercially available sanding block is the 3M™ Rubber Sanding Block available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. Sanding blocks are also known in the patented prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,672, (Gregoire, Sr.) for example, discloses an abrasive sheet holder having a base provided with clamping shoulders formed in a pair of opposed side edges thereof. A handle member is detachably secured over a rear surface of the base. The handle member has opposed flexible flange walls for clamping opposed end edge portions of an abrasive paper sheet which is positioned over a front working surface of the base with the edge portions of the paper sheet extending over the clamping shoulders.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,469 (Deshler) discloses a sanding block including a generally rectangular base housing upon which a multiply contoured generally convex hand grip is secured. The hand grip further defines inwardly extending concave portions that facilitate easy and secure grip by the user. An over-center lever clamp mechanism is operative at each end of the sanding block to secure the opposed ends of a sandpaper sheet in a releasable attachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,936 (Goulet et al.) discloses a hand held abrading tool including clamping mechanisms to quickly and reliably secure sanding paper, bristled sheets, polishing cloths, and the like to the tool.
Sheet-like abrasive articles include, for example, conventional sandpaper. Conventional sandpaper is typically produced by affixing abrasive mineral to a relatively thin, non-extensible, non-resilient, and optionally non-porous backing material, such as paper or a polymeric film material. Conventional sandpaper typically exhibits good initial stock removal (i.e. cut) but produces a relatively deep scratch pattern for a given mineral size, and generally has an undesirably short life. In addition, the thin, flat, slippery nature of conventional sandpaper makes the article difficult to grasp, hold and maneuver, and does not make sandpaper well suited for sanding curved, contoured, or textured surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,051 (Beardsley et al.) discloses abrasive foam articles comprising a flexible and resilient foam substrate having first and second major substrate surfaces, at least one of the surfaces having a plurality of open cells substantially across the substrate surfaces, the open cells having coatable surfaces defined by interconnected voids; and a plurality of abrasive particles adhered to the coatable surface of the open cells in a substantially uniform manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,113 (Minick et al.) discloses a flexible abrasive product comprising a flexible sheet-like substrate comprising a multiplicity of separated resilient bodies connected to each other in a generally planar array in a pattern which provides open spaces between adjacent connected bodies, each body having a first surface and an opposite second surface; and abrasive particles to cause at least the first surface to be an abrasive surface.
The industry is always seeking improved conformable flexible abrasive articles that are more durable, are easier to handle and use, have improved cut, produce finer scratches, have a longer life, and can be used with hand sanding blocks. It would be desirable to provide a flexible resilient abrasive article that has improved durability over a wide range of abrasive grit sizes, has improved flexibility, has improved handling and is therefore is easy and comfortable to use, is easy and inexpensive to make, has improved cut, produces finer scratches than a comparable sheet of sandpaper, lasts longer, and can be used with a hand sanding block. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a flexible resilient sheet-like abrasive article in combination with a hand sanding tool.